China

Europe

Economics

Politics

China threatened unspecified countermeasures against the European Union and relevant companies unless Brussels makes major changes to its proposed "buy European" industrial rules and revised cybersecurity rules, Reuters reported on April 29.

China, EU: Beijing Threatens Retaliation Over Brussels' Proposed Industrial, Cybersecurity Rules

United States

Iran

Energy

U.S.-China Relations

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned China's Hengli Petrochemical's Dalian refinery, accusing it of buying billions of dollars' worth of Iranian oil and thereby helping fund Iran's military, and roughly 40 shipping companies and vessels, according to an April 24 Treasury press release.

China, U.S.: Washington Hits Major Chinese Refiner Over Iranian Oil

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump accused China of carrying out "industrial-scale" theft of U.S. artificial intelligence technology, saying China-based actors used proxy accounts and jailbreaking techniques to extract proprietary data from leading U.S. models, The Financial Times reported April 23.

U.S., China: White House Accuses China of 'Industrial-Scale' AI Theft Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

Australia

Japan

Philippines

Military & Security

Japan's government unveiled revisions to its rules on defense equipment and technology transfers, abolishing the restriction that had largely confined transfers to nonlethal items, according to a Ministry of Defense readout on April 21.

Japan: Tokyo Opens the Door to Lethal Arms Exports

Kazakhstan

China's technology conglomerate Tencent acquired a 3.2% stake in Kazakhstan's financial technology company Kaspi.kz for about $518 million through the purchase of American depositary receipts, Bloomberg reported on April 20. 

Kazakhstan, China: China's Tencent Acquires Stake in Kaspi.kz

Canada

New Zealand

France

The Philippines and the United States began the largest iteration of annual Balikatan military drills yet, running through May 8 with more than 17,000 troops, including around 10,000 U.S. personnel, and expanded participation from allies including Japan -- which is participating in live-fire drills for the first time -- Australia, Canada, France and New Zealand, AP reported on April 20.

Asia-Pacific: Balikatan Military Drills Largest Ever as China Launches Parallel Exercises

The Philippines joined the semiconductor-focused, U.S.-led Pax Silica coalition and agreed to host a 4,000-acre Economic Security Zone on the island of Luzon, a U.S.-administered industrial hub on Philippine soil intended to anchor allied supply chains outside China, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 16. 

Philippines, U.S.: Washington and Manila To Launch Strategic Manufacturing Push in Luzon

Vietnam

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Vietnamese counterpart To Lam signed cooperation documents covering agriculture, education and railway construction, and China pledged deeper cooperation on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital infrastructure and state technology systems, Reuters reported on April 15. 

China, Vietnam: Rail, Digital and Security Deals Deepen Institutional Ties

Assessments

A Chinese vessel participates in oil exploration.

While China has so far fared well, persistent Strait of Hormuz disruptions would test its oil reserves and drive more defensive policies to secure growth, energy and export competitiveness.

Time Will Test China's Economic Resilience Against Iran War Shocks

A Chinese navy ship (background left) is seen while an Australian navy ship (right) takes part in a maritime cooperative activity with the Philippines and Canada in the disputed waters of the South China Sea on Sept. 3, 2025.

China, the Philippines and Vietnam's efforts to rebalance coercive activity with diplomatic engagement have temporarily lowered escalation risks, but persistent rivalries ensure long-term volatility.

In the South China Sea, Managed Tension Masks Long-Term Volatility

Peru

Israel

Lebanon

Hungary

A digital screen displaying news of U.S.-Iran peace talks April 10 in Islamabad. The United States and Iran are set to begin contentious talks April 11 in Islamabad, Pakistan, with disputes over the 10-point proposal as a framework for discussions and major gaps between U.S. and Iranian demands.

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Iran Talks, Hungarians Vote

Media

Cuba

Mexico

Venezuela

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Taiwan

Forecast Webcast

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2026 Second-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast.

2026 Second-Quarter Forecast Webcast

Snapshots

Myanmar

Afghanistan

India

Nepal

Pakistan

A freight train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, on Aug. 26, 2025.

Global Trade

New Delhi's decisions to permit specific imports and fast-track minority investments highlight its strategy of addressing critical manufacturing shortages, though relations are unlikely to extend beyond low-level confidence-building measures.

India Cautiously Opens up to Chinese Investment

Djibouti

Damage at the Azadi Sport Complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran on April 3.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Taiwan's KMT Restarts China Talks

South Korea

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (C) answers questions during a plenary session of the House of Representatives at Parliament on March 26 in Tokyo. Poor ties with China under Japan's new premier portend industrial disruptions in Japan, and supply chain and defense cooperation with regional partners like South Korea and the United States.

Poor ties with China under Japan's new premier portend industrial disruptions in Japan, and supply chain and defense cooperation with regional partners like South Korea and the United States.

A New Leader in Japan and an Old Feud With China

Newly elected opposition Kuomintang (KMT) leader Cheng Li-wun delivers a speech in Taipei on Nov. 1, 2025. 

The KMT's diplomatic outreach to Beijing may yield modest economic gains, but it will also hurt the party's electoral prospects, which could paradoxically raise the risk of military conflict in the coming years.

The Taiwanese Opposition's Plan To Revive Talks With China Will Likely Backfire

Americas

This photo, taken in Lima in November 2024, shows Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte attending the inauguration ceremony for the Chinese-built and operated "megaport" in the small Peruvian town of Chancay.

As Washington formalizes a new hemispheric doctrine centered on security and supply chain dominance, regional governments face mounting pressure to align their defense and economic policies with U.S. geopolitical interests.

How the U.S.'s Anti-China Strategy for Latin America Could Unfold

Russia

People on March 15 in Tehran, Iran, clean up rubble from a missile attack. The Iran war will almost certainly continue through the next week amid Israeli threats to escalate and expand strikes due to Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians and the U.S. deployment of additional military assets to the region.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, a European Parliament Delegation Visits China

Ukraine

A large plume of smoke rises March 7 over Tehran after explosions were reported in the Iranian capital during the night.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Takaichi Meets With Trump

North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Feb. 22, 2026. 

Kim Jong Un's latest directives suggest a willingness to pursue high-level negotiations with the United States and China in pursuit of critical economic concessions.

North Korea's Party Congress Points to Diplomatic Window of Opportunity

<p>China is situated on the eastern third of the Eurasian landmass, between Russia, mainland Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Its more than 9,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Yellow, East and South China Seas. China is a country of deep geographic divisions. Most fundamental is the split between its fertile eastern lowlands and the arid, sparsely populated highlands that enclose the lowlands like a shell. More than a billion people live in the ethnic Han Chinese core, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Traditionally, threats to China&#39;s Han core originated in the borderlands. To guard against overland invasion, successive Chinese rulers have sought to push the Core&#39;s borders outward &mdash;integrating these highlands as strategic &quot;buffer&quot; zones. These zones form a shield, protecting and containing the core. To be secure, China must control the buffer regions. But maintaining control of the regions, in turn, requires a strong and united core. And that means overcoming immense internal divisions &mdash; not only between northern and southern regions orbiting the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but also between smaller regional units, each with their own geography, history, dialect and interests. Chinese history is defined by cycles of unity and fragmentation, from periods when a strong Han core captures and holds the surrounding buffers to those when a weak core breaks into its constituent parts, loses internal coherence and cedes control of the borderlands. This pattern, rooted in China&#39;s geography, has played out with remarkable consistency. By comparison, China&#39;s maritime interests have remained mostly limited to coastal waters. Today, however, growing international trade and rising Chinese reliance on overseas resources threaten to alter the pattern, adding a new maritime dimension to the struggle for buffer space &mdash; and potentially upending the long-standing dynamics of China&#39;s geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

China, EU: Beijing Threatens Retaliation Over Brussels' Proposed Industrial, Cybersecurity Rules

China, U.S.: Washington Hits Major Chinese Refiner Over Iranian Oil

U.S., China: White House Accuses China of 'Industrial-Scale' AI Theft Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

Japan: Tokyo Opens the Door to Lethal Arms Exports

Kazakhstan, China: China's Tencent Acquires Stake in Kaspi.kz

Asia-Pacific: Balikatan Military Drills Largest Ever as China Launches Parallel Exercises

Philippines, U.S.: Washington and Manila To Launch Strategic Manufacturing Push in Luzon

China, Vietnam: Rail, Digital and Security Deals Deepen Institutional Ties

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